In March, Medline Industries, Inc., will launch empOweR, a new online program designed to improve the safety, efficiency and savings in hospital and surgery center operating rooms. The program includes comprehensive education, safety solutions and financial solutions to help reduce errors, empower staff and improve patient quality of care. The educational component will be offered through Medline University, Medline's healthcare education and training center, and is designed to help improve the safety and efficiency in the OR by providing a number of free courses on topics relating to reducing errors, staff empowerment, pressure ulcer prevention, lean strategies and many more.
Candace Smith, MPA, RN, NEA-BC, SVP, chief nursing officer and clinical program consultant for Medline, discusses background on the program, identifies top challenges for ensuring OR safety and efficiency and provides best practices for OR staff to maximize the benefits of educational opportunities such as those presented by empOweR.
Q: What was the motivation for Medline to develop empOweR?
Candace Smith: Healthcare facilities are getting pressure from all sides with increasing demands driven by healthcare reform, SCIP measure, ACOs and culture of safety initiatives. At no other time in history has there been more pressure on the healthcare industry to provide safe, high-quality care with better outcomes, less waste, increased efficiency and lower costs. As the department with the highest stakes and the highest costs, the overhead lights are shining directly down on operating rooms as payors, and other stakeholders place even greater demands on this department.
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Adding to this increased pressure is the fact that reimbursement levels will now be impacted by efficiency and outcomes, as well as core measures and patient satisfaction, beginning in October 2012 (Fiscal year 2013) so ORs are grappling with how to manage and meet these heightened expectations and demands.
More than 100 years ago, Medline started as an OR solutions provider. Our company made the first surgeon gowns and was the innovator to change the color from white to blue to reduce glare. Since then, Medline has built an entire suite of OR solutions that focus on solving the critical problems that cost hospitals more money.
Every day, Medline account managers work with more than 1,500 OR teams throughout the country and the world to help them improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of their OR operations. We talked to these customers and to our team of OR experts that are part of Medline's perioperative advisory board and asked them what their greatest pain points are. Their response was loud and clear: safety, efficiency and cost. They told us that building a culture of safety is critical and that they need help in helping their teams feel empowered to speak up and speak out. They also told us that there was not a comprehensive program or educational solution that addressed all of these needs.
These insights led to the development of Medline's new empOweR program: an innovative education and training program designed to empower ORs by increasing awareness of safety and quality issues through several unique CE programs, opening lines of communications within OR teams and helping them to streamline their operations through lean assessments and other efficiency tools.
Q: How does Medline identify the courses for inclusion in the program? How many courses do you envision empOweR offering (or are planning to offer)?
CS: Phase I of Medline's new empOweR educational series touches on the most critical and fundamental safety issues facing ORs today, from preventing wrong-site surgery, retained surgical items and sharps injuries to maintaining normothermia and preventing pressure ulcers. In addition, the capstone course for this initial series addresses the need to create a culture of safety. Knowing how to prevent these safety issues is only part of the solution. The OR team needs to feel empowered to speak up and speak out. Medline's new CE course "Speak Your Truth" helps to build the foundation for a culture of safety.
Medline plans to add to the empOweR OR safety curriculum with additional courses that showcase real-life safety situations and show how hospitals are addressing them. In addition, Medline is working to partner with The Joint Commission to create a program that more fully addresses the barriers to safety.
Q: What does Medline see as the most challenging areas for OR safety and efficiency?
CS: The most challenging area for safety and efficiency is the issue of culture in the OR. Today it is very hierarchical and complex area where your comfort and ability to speak up and speak out is often predicated on your role in the organization. In many cases, there should be more collaboration between the entire surgical team and those directly supporting the team.. Many facilities have identified the problem, and in some cases the solution, but struggle with implementing change because of the OR culture. Medline's empOweR program is designed to lift the lid on some of the challenges and to empower OR teams to speak up and speak out so they are more confident and comfortable in making changes to make a more safe environment for the patient, staff and providers.
Q: Why would you say it is critical for OR staff members to participate in empOweR courses and other programs offering continuing education?
CS: Medline's empOweR program was designed by OR experts for OR teams. In this program, we address the critical topics that are facing ORs across the country. In our research, we didn't find another program like this. The empOweR program is convenient by offering innovative educational programs with CE credits than can be done on the computer at your own time or over lunch at the facility. The information that you'll find on Medline University on topics such as speaking up, culture in the OR, Lean principles, and SPD training is limited elsewhere or not as easily accessible. These courses are free and available 24 hours a day on Medline University.
Q: How should organizations and their OR staff members maximize the benefits of these courses? What steps should they take to complement their participation in and completion of the courses?
CS: Organizations can maximize the benefits of the courses by first going through the "Speak Up" course and learning how staff can begin to change the culture of their OR. Staff at the facility can then take an anonymous survey to identify important issues in their OR that need to be addressed. A custom website on Medline University can then be set up specific to that facility that includes the courses that address the issues identified in the survey.
Q: While the individual courses will not take significant time to complete, OR staff is already stretched thin at many organizations and it can be a challenge for staff members to set aside approved time for continuing education. What advice can you give to help OR staff in this situation to receive approval and leadership support for taking courses like those found in the empOweR program?
CS: Medline's empOweR education courses are available online 24 hours a day so the program is very flexible for staff to utilize and for leadership to help sponsor and encourage this effort. The courses are available for free; online and leadership, as well as the OR education team, can see who has taken which courses, as well as which questions may have been missed on the tests. This information can then be used by the staff and leadership to talk about the importance of the education and improving our overall safety culture. Reminder emails can be sent to the staff on a regular basis throughout the year reminding them to take the safety curriculum and any new courses added to the program.
Learn more about Medline University.
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